Here is a fun occupation to practice with children. But in addition to being fun, making and then dispatching seed bombs is a ecological act. Let’s see what this concept is, if it is really useful and find out how easy it is to shape your seed bombs to launch them… be careful, not just anywhere, because the law does not mess with the notion of land ownership.
Principle of seed bombs or seed bombs
The principle consists of imprisoning the seeds of flowering plants, lawns, vegetable plants or – which is the most common – wild and local plant species in a moist germination substrate. It is then enough to shape them into balls the size of a cap and then to catapult them to the desired places. Some gardeners use this concept to sow the hard-to-reach areas of their land, playing mavericks in the service of a nature that is just waiting to exist.
Crafting Seed Bombs
There is nothing very complicated in preparing your seed bombs. Here are the ingredients needed:
- Of the seedslocal wild species, vegetables, perennial flowering plants, aromatic plants…, if possible organic because it’s even better,
- 1 handful of decomposed compost,
- 1 volume of garden soil,
- 2 volumes of clay powder,
- Of the’eau.
We start by mixing the potting soil, earth and clay well, which must then be moistened little by little so as to obtain a soft dough but who stands. It is kneaded to make small balls 2 to 3 cm in diameter. With your finger, we form a cavity in the center of each ball to be able to place a maximum of ten seeds there if they are small, or only 3 or 4 if they are large seeds. Then close the hole. Once well shaped, these wet balls which contain seeds to be sown must be used without delay. It therefore only remains to bomb the areas that we want to revegetate so that nature can regain its rights.
Obviously, it is necessary to select non-sterile seeds and use the seed bombs as soon as they are prepared, taking into account the season. Spring is the ideal period (as soon as the risk of frost is no longer to be feared), for many plants which will be able to flower throughout the summer, or even until frost depending on the species chosen. Newbies in gardening who do not know the specificities of plants have the possibility ofbuy seed bombs wildflowers on some online sites.
Use seed bombs
Already known in Antiquity, this concept of wild gardening was taken up in the early 1940s by a Japanese botanist. Then he returned to the front of the stage in the 70s in New York with the aim of reseeding abandoned urban areas and expressing a citizen disapproval against ultra concretization. This is called Guerilla Gardening or Green Guerilla, understand guerrilla gardening.
Be careful, it is forbidden to enter private land to distribute seed balls, no one having the right to dispose of the property of others without being expressly authorized by its owner. A short tour of the town hall before playing the pacifist Guerrillas allows you to know a little more about the question because everything depends on the municipalities.
We can reclaim abandoned spaces on the outskirts of cities or very ugly urban areas when they are only abandoned wastelands and concrete blocks. Ditches are also places to exploit, green roofs, and of course our own land. This practice makes it possible to fight against the collapse of biodiversity, but can also be an opportunity to bomb vegetable seeds so that everyone can harvest freely if the bombs contain seeds of vegetable plants. This is a militant act that only aims for the good.
Throwing seed bombs does not make a sound… the only “bang” that this generates can be visually assessed some time later since the seed bombs give rise to a explosion of colors and scents depending on the plant species that have been sown… This promotes biodiversity.
The results obtained may turn out spectacular, especially if the seeds of wild plants are imprisoned in these balls. It’s up to everyone to associate California poppy, daisy, amaranth, marigold, cornflower, sunflower, primrose, nasturtium, poppy… In this way, you can radically transform an area of your own garden or along the often very sad pedestrian paths. This is the solution that guarantees a rapid development of all these plants and it’s perfect for attract pollinating insects without spending hours sowing seeds one by one.